Winter's edge
by Mystelteyn
Summary: When Fleur goes looking for her sister one wintry afternoon, she finds things that are more than they seem, especially in relation to one Harry James Potter. One-shot, no pairings, very AU.


Winter wonderland. That was the only thing that could describe the sight before her, one that she never thought she would see when she went looking for her sister. Gabrielle was frolicking around, playing with enchanted snow constructs in fantastical shapes that Fleur had never seen before, and an adolescent unicorn, one old enough to have shed its gold coat but not yet fully grown, gambolling around in some indecipherable game of tag, as children were wont to. She had taken off her coat and sweater, and was only clad in a blouse and pants. Understandably, Fleur panicked, rushing forward, divesting herself of her scarf in an effort to protect her baby sister from the cold, only to stumble to a stop as she crossed the perimeter of a wide area warming charm, one tailored to only provide warmth to living things, for there was no indication on the ground whatsoever - after all, the snow was thick on the ground.

She looked around, searching for the source of the warming charm and enchanted snow constructs, though she already had a rather shrewd idea. After all, only one person here at Hogwarts would have the ability and inclination to go to such lengths to keep her sister entertained, although she hadn't known quite the extent that his capabilities stretched to. Sure enough, a more detailed examination of her surroundings allowed her to notice a shimmer in the air not far from where she was, and she approached, knowing the person most likely under the disillusionment charm and his probable reaction.

Sure enough, the disillusionment charm fell away to reveal a scowling Harry Potter, who was muttering deprecations about his disillusionment charm and how he needed to get better at it. A second charm fell away to reveal a large black lioness, whom Harry was casually leaning against. Hedwig fluttered down to land on his shoulder, completing Harry's menagerie, as far as she knew. He smiled up at her as she reached him, patting the undisturbed snow at his side, inviting her to sit. She gracefully complied, shrugging off her coat and placing it along with her scarf on the haphazard pile of winter clothing left by her sister. The lioness placed her head in her lap, and Fleur gave into her demands, stroking the lioness' head and neck gently as she watched her sister play.

They sat in companionable silence, broken only by the laughter of the young child at play, flitting around the snow-covered grounds near the Forest, chasing and being chased by Harry's constructs. Every now and then one of them would attempt to catch her in its slushy embrace, something which never failed to elicit squeals and giggles from Gabrielle, whether she was caught or not.

Some time later, Gabrielle, on a whim, decided to run up to Harry and smush his face into the armload of snow she was carrying when he'd zoned out. Fleur gasped, not expecting her sister to do that to harry, and the unicorn whickered in obvious mirth, having followed the young girl in her headlong charge. Harry merely lifted a hand to his face, clearing the snow away, though a few clumps clung to his unruly hair. He abruptly launched himself forward, tickling Gabrielle mercilessly, her shrieking laughter echoing back towards them from the forest as she tried to get away.

'He'll make a great father someday, and make his chosen lady very happy', Fleur mused, and was about to voice that thought aloud when she heard growling emanating from her back-rest. The lioness had lifted her head from Fleur's lap, and was staring at the trees, and the unicorn did the same, pawing the ground and snorting, its head lowered in preparation to charge. Harry let up on his assault on Gabrielle's sides, picking her up and holding her close to him, backing up towards Fleur, eyes trained on a spot in the Forest, where vague hints of movement could be seen.

Fleur rose, palming her wand, and the lioness rose with her, padding around her to draw level with the unicorn, teeth bared in a menacing growl. Harry reached her, and passed Gabrielle over, who was quiet, knowing something was wrong, but not sure what exactly was going on. Harry drew his wand with his left - something she noted as odd, as he was right-handed - then raised his right arm, hand open, pointing towards the sky. The reason for that was unveiled soon enough, for a flash of fire bloomed above him, then in his hand he grasped the ruby encrusted hilt of a longsword, and a phoenix covered in gold feathers with some blue highlights landed on Harry's free shoulder. He looked at Hedwig, who gave a short bark, and took off, headed towards Hogwarts and safety.

Harry flicked his wand, incanting _Expecto Patronum_. His silver stag cantered forth, and he told it,"Go to Dumbledore. Tell him, 'They are here. Lock down the wards, and warn the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations.'" Fleur gaped at the casual use of such a high-level charm, and was startled as Harry turned to her. "Run. Head to either the Beauxbatons carriages, or find safety in Hogwarts' walls. We'll buy you fifteen minutes before retreating." As he spoke, she could see changes in his companions, the unicorn's coat flickering red around his muzzle and legs, forming a vaguely flame-like pattern, whilst the lioness' coat glowed gold in a distinct pattern focused around her paws and maw. The phoenix's blue highlights began giving off an ethereal glow, soothing Fleur and Gabrielle, taking away their fear even as they saw the lead elements of the enemy, massive, shadowy shapes moving in the trees, and glowing red eyes glaring out of the gloom that hid the deeper parts of the Forest from them.

"Désir, go with them. Keep them safe for me, alright?" The unicorn, Désir, whickered softly, then nudged Fleur softly, encouraging her to head for the safety of Hogwarts Castle. Behind her, Harry settled into a stance, one which spoke of long familiarity with the blade in his right hand, readying himself to do pitched battle in defence of the ladies whom he had come to know after the second task.

Fleur broke into a run after placing Gabrielle onto Désir's back, telling her to hold on tight, fleeing the unknown combatants with Désir, even as her heart went out to the young man staying behind to buy them enough time to escape to safety. The sound of metal screeching against _something_ echoed as battle was joined, the lioness, phoenix and young man drove into the mass of creatures, leaving black blood and still forms in their wake as they cut a swath through the unknown assailants.

The sounds of pitched battle reached Fleur's ears as she continued running, almost a quarter of the way back to the castle, Désir easily keeping pace behind and a little to her right. One of the shadowy _things_ leapt into her path, having somehow evaded the three taking out its brethren, but before it could do more than growl and make Gabrielle shriek in terror it was struck and disintegrated by a purple-red lance of magic that had emanated from Désir's horn. They continued running, and reached Hogwarts Castle without further incidents, Harry's valiant efforts stymying the horde of creatures' attempts to get to them. Once they were past the front doors, which swung shut as they passed the threshold, there were two successive bursts of fire nearby, and first the lioness and then a blood-drenched Harry were deposited onto the stone floor, the phoenix circling above them afterwards before landing on the lioness' head.

Harry grimaced at the blood covering him, which quite frankly smelled putrid, and began to clean himself off with his wand, moving on to the lioness and the phoenix after he was done. Fleur sank to the floor, legs unable to hold her up in her relief at having escaped certain death, and Gabrielle dismounted from Désir, running up to her sister, finding solace in her embrace. Harry looked them over, ascertaining for himself that they were alright, then turned to converse with the newly-arrived Headmaster, speaking in hushed tones about the _things _that even now were attempting without success to breach Hogwarts' wards. They resolved to monitor the situation for now, with several contingency plans for if something happened.

Harry helped Fleur up gently, and ushered her into the Great Hall, where she sank gratefully onto one of the benches at the Gryffindor table, resting her head on the table, her sister snuggled at her side. Harry stood nearby, one eye on them, the other monitoring the developing situation outside the castle. When the situation was finally resolved with the _things_ melting back into the shadows, Fleur found that Gabrielle had fallen asleep at her side, emotionally and physically exhausted with the events that had preceded this. Harry offered to escort them back to the Beauxbatons carriages, and she gratefully accepted, still wary of what happened outside.

The walk back was uneventful, and at the doors to the carriages, Harry said goodbye to both Fleur and a recently-awakened Gabrielle, who blushed crimson as Harry kissed her on her forehead, telling her to stay safe and to listen to her sister. Behind him, Désir whickered softly, while the lioness' rumbling purr and the phoenix's soothing song said their own goodbyes, before they turned to return to the castle.

Much later, as Fleur and Gabrielle bedded down for the night, both girls' thoughts were on the valiant, yet humble young man who had saved them from certain death just this afternoon, and smiles were on their faces as they went to sleep, Gabrielle ensconced in the warm embrace of her sister.


End file.
